#2: The Joker

The Joker, Gotham City’s most infamous and feared rogue. The Batman’s most hated nemesis. He is responsible for the death and mutilation of hundreds of innocents. He inspires madness among the underworld, and he is known to execute an underling just for fun. He has even attempted to kill his onetime confidant and “lover” Harley Quinn on multiple occasions. He has no end goal, no aspirations, and no ambition. Everything he does is for the fun of it. He is incapable of restraint. He is the embodiment of that feeling we all have at one time or another. We all wish, from time to time, that we could let go of all responsibilities and inhibitions and just run wild, indulging every stray thought and desire no matter the consequences.

In all honesty, ranking Joker over the Red Skull or vice versa is just splitting hairs. They are both abominably evil. The only true difference is their motivations. What pushed the Harlequin of Hate into the Number 2 slot was the complexity and “creativity” of some of his handiwork. From mosaics made from stitched-together bodies to carving off of his own face just for fun, the Joker has committed some nightmarish deeds. In addition, he is responsible for two of the most infamous villainous acts in comic books. He crippled Barbara Gordon, and he killed Jason Todd.

The only thing that the Joker truly loves is the Batman. He is obsessed with the Caped Crusader, and no one is truly sure why. He favors him as an opposite inverse, but also has spoken, at-length, about how alike they are. He has had many opportunities to kill the Dark Knight, but he has never completed the act.

The Joker has never revealed his true backstory, though he has given many red herrings on the subject. The only thing that is known for sure is that he was briefly the failed thief, the Red Hood. In recent comics, it has been revealed that the Joker is actually three different people. To me, this is not nearly as fun as all of these actions having been caused by a single mystery man, and that will always be my head canon.

In the end, no matter how vile the deed, the Joker has always managed to get a laugh out of me.